PLAY-BY-MAIL
GAMES

Play-by-mail games, also called PBM or Interactive Strategy Games,
are played by mail, fax, or electronically. The basic method of play can
be explained easily with a simple example. In chess, players make a move
and wait for their opponent to move. This can be done by mail very easily.
Each makes a move, writes it down, and sends it to their opponent,
who then makes his response and sends it back, and so on. It takes a while,
but it's very exciting -- you have plenty of time to consider all your options,
and then you get to anticipate your opponent's response. Play-by-mail games
are just like this, only more complex and intriguing. You'll
find yourself
eagerly awaiting your postman, and you'll get something interesting in your
mail. Some people find PBM to be the most challenging way to play a game.

The typical PBM game uses a system of turns. Each turn corresponds to
one "move" by all players, so if you use the chess analogy, sending a move
to an opponent and getting his reponse would be one "turn." However, with
PBM games you generally don't send moves directly to your opponent. Instead,
the PBM company (in this case Agents of Gaming, or AOG) acts as a mediator,
resolving your moves and sending you reports of what happened as a result.
In our case, a computer handles all the data processing, so AOG is completely
impartial 100% of the time. This is known as "computer moderation," as opposed
to "human moderated" games in which a Gamemaster (GM) resolves many or all
interactions. Human moderation is usually reserved for role-playing games
in which there are far too many actions a player could take than could be
easily handled by computer.

During each turn, you send in a report to the moderator, who enters it
into the computer, "runs" the turn, prints out your report and sends it to
you. For most games, this happens over a two-week period (though one- or
three-week schedules are available for some variants). Each such turn costs
a "turn fee," which varies depending on the PBM company, the complexity of
the game, the size and intricacy of the reports and orders, and other factors.
Some companies charge fees which rise as turns grow in size and become more
complicated (though AOG does not do this). For the most part, you'll find
that you get what you pay for -- games with low turn rates usually offer
very simple, small games, while higher-priced "Cadillac" games are much more
detailed. (Shameless plug coming...) Here at AOG, we feel our rates are some
of the best in the business. Our turn fees are fixed and don't grow with
the game, and you get a lot for your money! (End of plug.)

That's Play-By-Mail Gaming in a nutshell. Doesn't sound interesting?
You just haven't
tried it! If AOG's PBM games don't intrigue you, there are hundreds more.
Check out Paper Mayhem, a US-based
play-by-mail gaming magazine, for a list of other games you can try.